National Trust - Wallington — Attraction in Wallington Demesne

Mixed review. I hadn’t visited here in a long time so when I joined the National Trust I decided to take my partner.

Overall a nice new hours, but to be honest I’m pleased I didn’t pay the full fee for entrance which is £17.50 with gift aid per adult, as parts of the site were closed. I think overall it was a little bit disappointing and I found the regular boxes asking for more donations a bit off putting.

The house itself was open and upstairs is now in commission, so it was lovely to see the bedrooms and playrooms etc. restored. Taxidermy/collectors room at the top is a treat. Lovely piece of history.

The walled garden was lovely but the orchard is in a bit of disarray, the trees looked diseased and this area was not as well maintained. It’s a shame there was no option to buy rhubarb etc. like they do at Gibside as it was just going to rot.

The Orangery not open and the toilet there was badly blocked and overflowing.

Lots of parking but be aware when it’s busy it’s on bumpy ground/grass.

There are a couple of eating places, but as expected quite expensive. There is a lovely little fired pizza can but the cheapest pizza was £10 and it was very small. Cafe was the usual fare at inflated prices. As is the gift shop and garden centre shop.

The gardens, woodland walk ways and the lake were beautifully looked after and a credit to the gardening team.

Being in the summer holidays, it was full of kids, so if you want to avoid this and have a more peaceful visit I would recommend visiting during term time. If you do have kids, there is plenty to do such as adventure playground and holiday activities. If you take a picnic (recommended) you may need a blanket as the handful of deckchairs on the lawn seek to be commandeered by groups with kids...

Wow, where do I begin? My hubby & I went to Wallington on Bank Holiday holiday Monday & it was packed with mainly families, but a complete mix of people. The house was fabulous, not like an antique, but beautifully designed. Charles Trevillion 3rd was the last for this great house as he gave it to the National Trust outright, without the knowledge of his children. Charles T was a socialist and was a Labour candidate. The history of this house was passed on through generations, even with the fine china some in the house dating back to the 1700s. 4 different families! The staff were very knowledgeable and helpful. There is a ramp to enter the house and a lift for disabled to take to the first floor. For example, there are bug designs on a tea set that in their day 1700s would of been expensive process to make and the indifancies you can see the tiny bugs to cover up. There is a mobility scooter free of charge to hire u need to see the reception. The grounds are absolutely beautiful, and disabled friendly paths too. We didn't have time to look at all the grounds and we spent 2 hours in the house but as it was busy we didn't read and look properly at everything. We will definitely be going back. There is a shop,bookshop, cafe, toilets and selling pizza. Lots of car parking spaces & disabled bays. It costs £18 per adult to go but would be cheaper with a National Trust card especially if you are going to other locations....

We'd loved watching Matt Baker in his Channel 4 programme which follows the interview process to select new tenants for a farm on the Wallington Estate. So on our recent trip to Northumberland we were eager to visit the NT house and grounds at Wallington which we'd never heard of previously. No idea why this magnificent house and spectacular walled garden doesn't attract as much attention as Cragside. There was so much to see we actually went twice during our week away. For those of us of older years I'd recommend Wallington over Cragside as it's not at all hilly !! We came back the 2nd time as I needed more time going around the beautiful house packed full of interesting portraits and other amazing items. My husband happily walked around and say relaxing in the Walled Garden with our dog. In the café the cheese and ham toastie was truly the best toastie I'd had anywhere (including my own LOL) And my husband thoroughly enjoyed his chocolate cake, moist and delicious as it was. NT has upped its game since we first joined 20 years ago. It's now more welcoming to families with young children not just us oldies and I wish it'd been so when my children were young. Thoroughly recommend a visit to Wallington. I love Cragside but if I had to choose which one to visit again...